Wondrous Words Wednesday
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky! All of my words this week come from my Word-a-Day calendar.
1. acedia – “Cynthia’s blog is a humorous and self-deprecating chronicle of her struggles with spiritual acedia and depression.”
Acedia is a noun that means apathy or boredom.
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2. flyblown – “A poster advertising last year’s sheep-dog trials hung limply by one corner in the flyblown window.” — Alice Thomas Ellis, THE SIN EATER
Flyblown is an adjective, and in this case, it means not bright and new: seedy. This will be a fun word to use!
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3. withy – “The withies must be soaked in water for about a week before they’re ready to be woven into baskets.”
Withy is a noun that means a flexible slender twig or branch.
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Have you come across any new words lately?
I love the word “acedia”. Thank you for this great feature!
You know, in the first year of my blog, I reviewed a whole book about Acedia. It was told from the perspective that it could be as debilitating as depression, and gave tips to combat it. I am not so sure that I agree, but it was an interesting book nonetheless!
All new to me — no surprise there. I agree that the word acedia is interesting.
All three are new words to me. I agree with you that flyblown would be a fun one to use
3 great words there Kathy. I’d be a bit careful with flyblown though. In the case of a flyblown window it suggests covered in fly dirt as you suggest. A more agricultural meaning of flyblown is a wound infested with maggots (ie fly larvae)- sheep can commonly get flyblown if not properly cared for. I knew withy too, but only because I have some ancestors who were called Withey, they came from a village in England where I believe that they made things out of the willow stems. Somehow I’ve never heard of acedia before! I love it, and think I might have it….. I really love the definition on freedictionary- spiritual torpor and apathy; ennui.
LOVE withy!
Acedia – I can relate.
Oh I need some withy sticks to beat back the boyz in me house
All are new to me and I really like them all. Flyblown would be fun to use (though not in the way Louise mentioned).
Wow, I can’t believe blog made it as a *description* of a *different* word in the word-a-day calendar. How far we’ve come!
Al three are new for me (of course !) Thanks to you to help me to improve my english !
I’ve a book on my shelf with acedia in the title, so I had that one figured out (a pretty fun word, if you ignore the meaning …). Always fun!
I know and like acedia although I don’t use it often…I’m going to try to remember too as it’s a good word!
Flyblown and withy are new to me. Flyblown is my favorite of your words today. And it pretty much means what I thought about when I read it. Cool! Withy is interesting but too similar to witty for me in spelling and sound but nothing alike in definition! Oh, this language of ours! lol
That’s a greta calendat you have, Kathy!
These words are really interesting. Didn’t recognize any….
Love these words! I need to participate in this one someday….
I have an award for you here at MY STYLISH BLOGGER AWARD POST
I didn’t know any of these words, Kathy. Hopefully, I will be able to remember them and use them.
All new to me. Great words!
I think your Wondrous Words posts are great and I would love to participate but I always forget to write down new words!
Thanks, for the three new words , I learned today.
Kathy, I’m enjoying my word calendar this year too. Since you started this whole word thing I’ve honestly had so much fun finding and learning new words. It’s like playing a new game every time I pick up anything with a bunch of words in it. The next level of the challenge for me is to listen more intently when people speak. I’m sure there are some new verbal words out there too.
Hmmm… flyblown, interesting word. Conjures up images of a seedy bar with a CSI investigation taking place!
Love the word withy! I don’t recall ever having heard or read it before.
More strange new words
Again…your words are always unique…and on another note…I just bought the Tupelo cookbook…I had to have that one…and not on Kindle, either!!!
i keep saving words so i can participate…and then i forget where i’ve saved them! yours are so good – withy is awesome!
I only knew acedia — although I kept spelling it wrong.
I’ve heard flyblown before, but the other two were new to me. I really like acedia – I can definitely make use of that! Thanks for once again expanding my very limited vocabulary!
I love all three words! Acedia is one I can definitely use. I love flyborn. I think I’m starting to use that one a lot!
What great words! Love “withy.”
Thank you.
Love your words Kathy! I was finally able to post some words this week here:
http://jo-jolovestoread.blogspot.com/2011/03/wondrous-words-wednesday-march-30.html
In the same way that rainy comes from rain and snowy from snow, withy developed from the noun withe, which by itself means the same thing: ‘a flexible, slender twig or branch used as a band.’ An earlier meaning of withe had been ‘willow branch.’
I never would have guessed that that was what “withy” meant.